Chapter 1268
Words:1824Update:22/11/08 16:30:13
When the European football environment and economy were in a slump, local tycoon clubs like Chelsea had begun to show signs of tightening their purse strings. Ancelotti's team's biggest signing in the summer was the midfielder Ramires, worth £18.2 million. The other players' transfers did not exceed £10 million. It was conceivable that the team's reinforcements were not enough to make people look forward to the new season.
But Ancelotti still led the team forward with their heads held high. On the road of forging ahead, it just so happened that when it rains, it pours. They came to Anfield when they were short of players: Europe's most terrifying home ground!
It was understandable how pessimistic the Blues fans were and how difficult Ancelotti's situation was.
The battle for the top of the red and blue teams began.
Liverpool did not care too much. Every club had its own difficulties. No club would have smooth sailing. Happy days only existed in fairy tales.
But since the opponent came to their doorstep when they could not show their full strength, they could only graciously accept the big gift.
Liverpool's problem existed in the rear defensive line. The offense did not have much impact. Raúl's seamless integration into the team was Liverpool's biggest advantage in the new season.
In today's game, Liverpool had to attack instead of defend. They had to defeat Chelsea with offense and control. This was the tactical keynote of the overall plan for the game.
At the start of the game, Liverpool's midfield smoothly passed the ball to organize the attack. The players patiently passed the ball to each other to look for opportunities. They were not in a hurry and made the game look very stable, especially in the shaping of the offensive situation.
In the fourth minute of the game, Gerard ran in the front field. He shook off Zhirkov and received a pass from Alonso. Then, when Mikel came to block, he passed the ball to Raúl.
Raúl kept the ball in the middle in front of the penalty area and passed the ball back diagonally. A classic triangular offensive pass appeared in front of all the spectators.
Qin Xiong cut inside and ran toward the middle to meet the football rolling forward. Without thinking, he kicked a heavy shot to the goal.
The football flew like a cannonball towards the bottom right corner of Chelsea's goal. Čech bravely pounced horizontally and saved the ball out of the end line!
"Hehe, Liverpool came out with a show of strength as soon as the game started. Qin Xiong's long shot was beautifully executed, and Čech's pounce was also wonderful. Liverpool adopted a steady stance after the start of the game!"
Alonso's corner kick was headed out of the end line by Kuyt.
Chelsea began to attack.
The football came from the backfield to the midfield. Mikel quickly passed the ball to Zhirkov after Raúl returned to defend. The latter had just stopped the ball when he saw Kuyt coming over aggressively. He immediately controlled the ball and turned around, only to see Gerard bravely charging in front of him. His long legs crossed in front of him, directly cutting off his connection with the football.
After Gerard intercepted the ball, he leaned his back against Zhirkov and did not turn around. He handled the ball very decisively at his feet and diagonally passed it back to Alonso.
Alonso also kicked the ball out and the football rolled to Qin Xiong's feet.
Qin Xiong looked at the situation in the front field before he touched the ball. After he stopped the ball, he flicked the ball horizontally and sent it straight out with a kick that was more than thirty yards!
The football rolled directly behind Mikel and went straight to the penalty area.
Raúl ran in front of the penalty area and dribbled the ball smoothly. He passed in front of Alex. Chelsea was really caught off guard this time.
They thought it was their own side's attack and the rear defensive line could take a breather. They did not expect that in the blink of an eye, the opponent's midfield intercepted the ball and launched a fast attack. Liverpool's long passes were accurate and they had suffered a lot last season. Today, they were using the same trick again, which really made them a little angry.
In a hurry, Terry directly shoveled in front of the penalty area to interfere with Raúl.
Raúl did not make too many adjustments and took advantage of the situation to shoot. The shot was a little rushed.
The football hit Terry's thigh and refracted. Terry turned his head to look and his heart sank.
Looking at the football that produced a parabola after the refraction, it looked like they were going to "hang" Čech!
Čech was indeed tricked by Terry. His horizontal lunge was completely useless. He also looked up in the air.
Phew!
Thank goodness!
The football finally fell on the top of the goal net. It was less than thirty centimeters away from falling into the goal!
"Chelsea almost lost the ball! Raúl's shot was blocked by Terry and turned into a lob shot. The football almost fell into Chelsea's goal! Chelsea's midfield is a little uncoordinated today and the ball was intercepted by Liverpool before their offense could gain a foothold. "
Ancelotti's face was slightly red on the sidelines. Half of it was nervousness, and the other half was helplessness.
It was impossible to say that Zhirkov, Ramires, and Mikel did not have some organizational ability.
But to say how much organizational ability they could exert at this level to compete with Liverpool was nonsense!
Liverpool's strangulation ability in the midfield was still very strong, especially when Kuyt also played.
Liverpool's second corner kick attack did not pose a threat. Alonso's corner kick was wide and the football fell directly outside the penalty area on the other side and bounced out of the sideline.
Terry clapped his hands in the backfield to encourage the team to stay calm and not be frightened by Liverpool's momentum at the start of the game!
But Chelsea's attack was still disorganized.
The most important thing was that they could not link up in the midfield to attack.
Gerard, Kuyt, and Alonso blocked their attack in the middle, so Chelsea could only launch an attack from the flanks.
But whether it was Malouda or Kalou, they had a certain level of individual surprise attack ability on the flanks, but it was not enough to stage a direct attack. As soon as they took the ball, Liverpool's backfield defense immediately cut Chelsea's offensive formation, causing Kalou or Malouda to fall into a state of isolation and helplessness!
Without Lampard, who was good at seizing gaps and running, and Essien, who relied on physical play to gain a foothold in the front field, Chelsea's midfield wanted to rely on Zhirkov or Ramires, who was not completely established in the Premier League, to link up the offense and achieve the offensive effect of combining the sides and the center. It was a bit of a pipe dream.
If it were any other opponent, it would be fine. But against Liverpool, Chelsea was indeed in deep trouble today.
In the 17th minute of the game, Gerard dribbled and broke through Zhirkov in the right area of the front field. His forward offensive made Chelsea's players feel like they were facing a formidable enemy.
Chelsea's players were in a dilemma.
They stared at Qin Xiong from the beginning!
It was a defense that they did not have to think about!
If they did not consider or execute the defensive work of blocking Qin Xiong, then it was equivalent to giving up the game and taking the initiative to surrender.
But it looked like Liverpool were not fools. They knew that Chelsea put more defensive attention on Qin Xiong's side. In addition, the left-footed player, Zhirkov's position on the left side of the midfield was a flaw. Liverpool, of course, made good use of this side of the main attack!
Chelsea's defensive line had to immediately tilt towards Ashley Cole's side.
But just as they moved towards this side, Gerard immediately passed the ball across!
The football rolled towards Qin Xiong on the left under the astonished gazes of Chelsea's defenders!
In the end, was it still creating an opportunity for Qin Xiong?!
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